Nurser



Dec. 27, 1988 R. wyBARTON- ETAL 3294288 NURS ER grginal Filed April 3,1961 United States Patent O M 3,294.268 NURSER Raymond W. Barton and JoeT. Herron, Evansville, Ind., assignors to Mead Johnson 8; Company, acorporation of Indiana Original application Apr. 3, 1961, Ser. No.100,160, now Patent No. 3.200,860, dated Jan. 28, 1965. Divided andthisapplication Jan. 7. 1965, Ser. No. 424,027 6 Claims. (Cl. 215-11)This application is a division of copending Barton et al. application,Serial No. 100,160, filed April 3, 1961, now Patent Number 3,200,860,and assigned to the assignee Of this invention.

This invention relates to a disposable nurser.

Disposable or throw-away nursers have several advantages over moreconventional reusable glass or plastic nursing bottles. The eliminationof the cost of Washing, sterilizing and handling, and of replacement isobvious. Fu'rthermore, empty nursers may be supplied to a hospital in asterile condition, and With proper filling apparatus, and techniquescomplete sterlity may be maintained prior to feeding.

With conventional nursing equipment, there is an ever present danger ofcontaminatiron, principally through handling of nipples during andfollowing filling. This is a particularly serious problem in hospitalsWhere a large number of nursers are required and often must be handledseveral times before feeding. In the home, the use of throw-away nurserseliminates the laborious and time consuming operation of washing andsten'lizing bottles, nipples and associated apparatus.

A principal object of this inventon is to provide an improved throw-awaynurser.

One feature of the invention is the provision of a disposable nurserincluding a body of flexible material having an expandable portion, anipple extending outwardly from the nurser body having an outer endportion and a' nipple cover having a portion engaging and supporting theouter end portion of the nipple. Another feature is that the nipplecover is provided with an inwardly extending rib which engages a grooveon the nurser, there being an outwardly opening groove associated withthe rib on the cover, together with an annular member seated in thegroove of the cover, keeping it secured in place thereon.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following specification and the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a bulk filling apparatus for a nurserembodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a broken section taken generally along line 2 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section through the nipple of a nurser with afilling connector in place;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the nurser, nipple, cover and cap,with a portion'broken away for clarity; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a nipple.

The throw-away nurser illustrated herein is basically that disclosed andclaimed in Dailey et al. application Se-rial No. 814,110, filed May 18,1959, and asigned to the assgnee of this application. There 'are certaindifferences which Will be pointed out below.

Briefly, the nurser 20 (FIGURE 2) has top and bottom sections 21 and 22,respectively, both of a plastic material and sealed together at aperipheral seam 23. The two sections have a configuration of a portionof a Sphere less than a hemisphere, and the bottom section 22 is -of amaterial which is more exible than the top section 21, and may becollapsed into the top section, conforming closely with it as shown inthe aforemen- Patented Dec. 27, 1966 ICC tioned Dailey et al.application. The nurser is supplied with the bottom in the collapsedposition; and it may be filled shortly prior to use, the bottomexpanding to the position shown in FIGURE 2 upon filling. A nipple 24 issecured in an opening in top section 21 and is provided with a nipplecover 25. A Vvariety of sizes of nursers, as with capacities ofgtwo,three and eight ounces, may be provided for feeding dilfering quantitiesof formula.

In a hospital nursery or other institutions where a large quantity ofnursers must be prepared at one time, it is desirable to utilize a bulkfilling apparatus. A preferred embodiment of bulk filling apparatus isshown in FIGURE 1. The filling stand indicated generally at 28includes abase 29 and a pair of upright members 30 carrying between them anelevated platform or shelf 31a. Three recesses 32 are provided in theplatform 31a to receive and support bulk formula contaners 33, 34 and35. The base 29 is provided With a plurality of |recessed portions forreceiving the nursers during filling. Each of the bulk contaners hasaffixed thereto a filling set 43, through which formula is caused tofiow to the nursers carried on base 29. It 'has been found that a bulkfilling operation is most efficient carried on r with three supplycontaners of formula as there are three principal formula preparationsused in a hospital nursery. Newborn infants are first given a specialprelacteal formula, following which they are switched to a standardhospital formula. In addition, special formulations are often requiredbecause of allergic problems.

Briefly, the connecting means 43 may be sealingly connected with one ofthe nursers 20 and the formula caused to flow by gravity from the bulkcontainer to the nurser. As the flow continues, the lower portion of thenurser expands until the nurser is substantially completely filled, atwhich point the flow stops. The attendant may then shut off theconnection between the bulk container and the nurser, as by a tubingclamp 45 mounted on a shelf 31, and disconnect the filling set from thenurser. The operation may be repeated with the same or one of the otherformulas.

The nurser illustrated in this application dilfers from that of theaforementioned Dailey et al. application primarily in the arrangement ofthe nipple and nipple cover. This is shown in detail in FIGURES 3 and 4.The nipple 24 is provided with an annular groove 47 in which is receiveda folded edge 48 of an upstanding neck portion of the top nurser section21, surrounding the nipple receiving opening. A groove 49 is formed inthe top body section 21 adjacent the base portion 24a of the nipple,further lockng the nipple in place on the nurser body. Cover 25 has aninwardly formed rib 50 which seats in groove 49 and which has anoutwardly opening groove 51 associated therewith on the `outer surfaceof the cover. Rib 50 is seated in groove 49 of the nurser body andsecures the cover on the nurser. Furthermore, a sheet 52, which may beof heavy paper, has an annular opening therein within which the cover isreceived, the Sheet being seated in groove 51, keeping cover 25 lockedin place. Sheet 52 may have indicia imprinted thereon and serve as alabel for the nurser.

The outer end 24b of nipple 24 fits fairly tightly within a cylindricalportion 25a of nipple cover 25, and is supported and positioned therein.The end of nipple 24 is provided with a suitable opening as formed by apair of crosscuts 54 and 55 (FIGURE 5). A hole 56 is formed in the endsurface of cover 25 aligned with and immediately adjacent the nippleopening. A cap 57 is fitted over the cylindrical portion'of nipple cover25, closing the hole 56. Cap 57 is provided with a tab 57a to facilitateremoval and to prevent the cap from rolling when removed and laid on itsside ona surface.

The connector or filling set 43 has a fitting inserted in the end of thecan which carries an elongated tube reaching substautially to theopposite end of the can. A length of fiexible tubing 63, connected withthe fitting, has afiixed to it opposite end a suitable connector 64 forcommunication with a nurser 20. Connector 64 has a pointed spike orcannula portion 65 which may be inserted through the hole 56 in nipplecover 25 and through the crosscut opening in the end of the nipple, asshown in FIGURE 3. A depending skirt 66 surrounds a portion of cannula65, and when connection is made with the nipple, surrounds thecylindrical upper portion 25a of the nipple cover 25, as an aid inpositioning the connecting means. A cover 67 (FIGURE 2) is provided forcannula 65, and is removed when it is desired to use the filling set.

After the can is opened and the connecting or filling set 43 attachedthereto, a syphon action is used to cause gravity fiow of formula fromthe can 33 to a nurser. The opened can with a filling set 43 attachedthereto is placed in one of the support openings 32 on the shelf 31. Thecover 67 is removed from the connector device 64 of the filling set andcannula 65 is connected with an empty nurser. A fiow of formula isstarted by pulling on the tab 77 which extends from the bottom bodysection 22 of the nurser. This opens the nurser reducing the pressuretherein allowing atmospheric pressure to force the formula from can 33through the filling set 43 to the nurser. Only filtered air is admittedto can 33 preventing contamination of the contents. Once the flow isstarted, it continues until the nurser is substantially filled. Then, asthe cannula 65 is sealed with the hole 56 through nipple cover 25, thefiow stops automatically.

The connection between the bulk container and the nurser 20 is theninterrupted, as by inserting tubing 63 in the clamp 45, and the cannula65 removed from the nurser, breaking the sealed connection. The cannula65 is then inserted in another nurser which may be filled by removingthe tubing from clamp 45.

The system provides the utmost in sterility during the fillingoperation. The filling set 43 is a one-use device, thrown raway when thecontainer of formula is empty. Neither cannula 65 nor nipple 24 istouched during the filling operation. Cap 57 is merely removed from thenurser nipple cover 25 and the cannula inserted. Sufficient nurserreceiving positions are provided so that two spare nursers may hold thecannula of the filling sets of the idle bulk containers, while nursersare filled from the third container. Cannula 65 is only momentarilyexposed to the |atmosphere when it is being moved from one nurser toanother. Nipple cover 25 is not removed until it is time for feeding.

It is desirable to use two of the nurser receiving positions of base 29for the active filling operation. While the filling set 43 is connectedwith the nurser in one position, an empty nurser is placed in the otherposition. As soon as one nurser is filled, tube 63 is closed off andconnector 64 moved to the empty nurser and the tube released so that thefiow of formula continues. Cap 57 is replaced on the filled nurser, thenurser is removed from the supporting position on the base and an emptynurser put in its place.

The tubing 63 is of sufficient length to reach at least two nurserreceiving positions, without .being long enough for cannula 65 to touchthe base surface if the tubing hangs free.

The cuts 54 and 55 in the nipple are of different length, as is apparentfrom an examination of FIGURE 5. The illustrated arrangement permitsinsertion of the connector cannula, without having lan excessive feedingrate which would occur if both cuts were of the longer length.

It is desirable to provide nursers in varying sizes so that differentquantities of formula may be made up, according to the needs of theinfants in the nursery. Generally speaking, nursers of the general typeillustrated herein may be designed to have different capacity bychanging the diameter, and to a lesser extent, the height. The nurserreceiving portion of the base is illustrated in FIGURE 2. Threeconcentric but vertically and laterally spaced generally annularsurfaces 80, 81 and 82 are provided for nursers which may have volumesof two ounces, three ounces, and eight ounces. In each case, the annularsealed portion 23 of the nurser provides a nurser supporting surfacewhich is received on the appropriate surface of the base. The Verticalspacing of the supporting surfaces is such that the top of the nipplecover of the smallest size nurser, resting on the lowest supportingsurface 80, is approximately one inch above the upper surface of thebase. This provides ample leeway in the selection of the length oftubing 63 without increasing the danger of contact of the cannula withthe base.

The apparatus and method described above facilitate the use ofthrow-.away nursers by providing a sterile and relatively foolproofmeans for filling. In a hospital, for example, not only is the problemof collection, washing, sterilization and reassembly of nurserscompletely eliminated but filling is provided for in a sterile mannerwhere there is no danger of contact between the nurser nipple and acontaminated surface. The nipple cover remains securely fixed in placeon the nurser until it is actually time to feed the infant.

While we have shown and described an embodiment of our invention, it isto be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in the construction and larrangement may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in theappended claims.

We claim:

1. A disposable nurser of the character described, comprising: a body offlexible material having an expandablc portion; a nipple extendingoutwardly from the nurser body and having an outer end portion providedwith an opening; and a rigid protective nipple cover mounted on the bodyof the nurser surrounded and supporting the nipple, the cover having ahole therein adjacent the opening in said nipple for receiving a fillingconnector.

2. A nurser of the Character described, comprising: a body having anipple secured thereto and extending outwardly therefrom, said bodyhaving a groove therein around said nipple; a nipple cover with aninwardly formed rib engage'd in the groove in said body, there being anoutwardly opening groove in the outer surface of said cover, associatedwith said rib, and an annular member seated in the groove of said cover.

3. The nurser of claim 2 wherein said annular member is anindicia-bearing sheet with an opening therein through which said coverextends.

4. A disposable nurser of the Character described, comprising: a body offiexible material having an expandable portion; a nipple extendingoutwardly from'the nurser body and having an outer end portion providedwith an opening and an intermediate portion smaller in diameter thansaid outer end portion; and a nipple cover mounted on the body of thenurser surrounding the nipple, the cover having a portion engaging andsupporting the outer end portion of the nipple, the cover having a holetherein adjacent the opening in the nipple for receiving a fillingconnector, the nipple cover having an intermediate portion spaced fromthe intermediate portion of the nipple.

5. The nurser of claim 4 in which the intermediate portion -of the coveris generally conical and the cover portion engaging and supporting theouter end portion of the nipple is generally cylindrical.

6. A disposable nurser of the character described, comprising: a body offlexible material having an expandable portion; a nipple extendingoutwardly from the nurser body and having an outer end portion and anintermediate portion between the end portion and the body, the endportion having a diameter greater than the diameter of said intermediateportion and provided with an opening; and a rigid protective nipplecover mounted on the body of said nurser and having a generallycylindrical portion engaging and supporting the outer end portion of thenipple, the cover having a hole therein adjacent the open ing in saidnippie for receiving a filling connector and having a generaily conicalportion spaced from the intermediate portion thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTSv 1,716,262 6/1929Dishart 215-11 2,343,276 9/1940 Carlson 141-329 2,424,807 7/1947 Eckrnan141-329 2,442,656 6/1948 Less 128-252 Morrill.

Bailey 215-11 Lage 215-11 Oliver 215-11 Horan 215- 11 X Boston 215-11Mehl 215-11 Blanchett 128-252 Sehrwald 215-11 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, PrimaryExamz'ner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examnev'.

D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examner.

2. A NURSER OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A BODY HAVING ANIPPLE SECURED THERETO AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID BODYHAVING A GROOVE THEREIN AROUND SAID NIPPLE; A NIPPLE COVER WITH ANINWARDLY FORMED RIB ENGAGED IN THE GROOVE IN SAID BODY, THERE BEING ANOUTWARDLY OPENING GROOVE IN THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID COVER, ASSOCIATEDWITH SAID RIB, AND AN ANNULAR MEMBER SEATED IN THE GROOVE OF SAID COVER.